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Topic: E-mailing Resume vs. Snail Mailing

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gideon711 Posted – 1/18/2005 9:30:53 PM | show profile
I ran across a job posting today that stated ''Please include resume in text of email, including salary history. No phone calls.'' but it also gave the contact name and address of the company. What's the best strategy here? Sticking to their instructions and e-mailing or using the contact name and address to send a hard copy?
foodlit Posted – 1/18/2005 9:54:35 PM | show profile
e-mail
If that's what they ask for, send it. It is actually easier for recruiters and hiring managers to track resumes via e-mail than hard copies. Plus, if we like a resume, we will often forward it along to people who might be part of the interview process.

And, if send via snail instead, you risk getting it there too late, after they've set up interviews with people who responded, as requested, via e-mail.

Good luck
gideon711  Posted – 1/18/2005 10:59:53 PM | show profile
Thanks!
ltj201 Posted – 1/18/2005 11:48:21 PM | show profile
Yep--they'll be getting the vast majority of responses via email, so you stand less chance of it getting lost in the shuffle if you do the same.
angeloy Posted – 1/19/2005 11:55:31 AM | show profile
Think of your job hunt as a marketing campaign. Absolutely the best strategy is to do both when you can. Email your resume, and the follow up with a mailed packet.

This is also (sometimes) an opportunity to make one or two phone calls to the target: one to find out to whom to address your cover letter (if that info hasn't been provided) and a follow-up to confirm that the package has been received by that person. Remember: the person whose name appears on a job post is often an HR person, the first line of defense to the flood of job-seekers - what you want to do if possible is address your cover letter to the decision-maker.

If you make those phone calls (or that phone call to confirm reception) do it ten minutes before the start of the day (usually 8:50, sometimes 7:50) to increase your chances of leaving the first voicemail message of the day. Make ALL verbal communications short and to the point. That message should be less than ten seconds long.

If you do leave a voicemail because nobody's in the office yet, call back shortly after to speak to a person while they're checking email/getting coffee/reading Page Six, etc.

I don't believe I've ever lost a job for calling. You almost always end up talking to a receptionist, or the HR person who made the request ''no calls please'' and that's their job. If you have a reason for calling (getting the name for the cover letter and/or confirming reception of package) other than ''hi, I'm looking for work'', they're not going to blackball you for checking and following up on an action.

The best strategy is to make your nam pop up as many times as possible, even if you never actually make verbal contact with the decision-maker. An email, a packet, and a note on a desk that you called to confirm recenption of the packet means your name has popped up to the decision-maker three times.
gideon711 Posted – 1/19/2005 12:02:16 PM | show profile
minstrel-boy, that's some of the best advice I've been given thus far. Thank you very much.
gideon711 Posted – 1/20/2005 7:21:12 AM | show profile
Also, is it a big deal whether your resume and cover letter are tri-folded or sent in a larger envelope without being folded at all?
lorelai Posted – 1/20/2005 8:38:19 AM | show profile
Conventional wisdom is that a full 8.5x11-or-so envelope looks more professional and is more likely to be noticed. It only costs $0.49 if it's under an ounce. It looks especially sharp if you get a postage sticker printed and put on at the post office rather than cobbling together a 37, a 10, and a 2.
gideon711 Posted – 1/20/2005 9:29:56 AM | show profile
Thank you! Unfortunately, I just sent one out this morning before I read your response.

I figured it just makes it easier on the HR people if they can scan your documents w/o having to deal with the fold lines.
gideon711 Posted – 1/20/2005 10:04:31 AM | show profile
I just realized that I'm a moron because I neglected to attach my resume in another job that I applied for. I suppose I should follow up and mail them a hard copy for sure now. Hopefully, I didn't just blow it!
angeloy Posted – 1/20/2005 10:11:31 AM | show profile
Gideon, thanks. God knows I spent about three years making all kinds of job-seeking mistakes. So I am going to extrapolate further for the betterment of all job-hunters:

When doing a blitz (applying for numerous positions over a period of weeks) I like to develop a rhythm to the process that goes something like this:

Send you introductory letter and resume as text pasted in the body of an email (no attachments unless specified -- many people don't open them due to the risk of viruses). Mention that you're sending a packet in the coming days so they can see your clips.

If you're going to make that first phone call, do it before you send the email; try to track down the email address of the decison-maker (Googling the phone number on the job post is a good way to find online staff directories without calling). If not, just send the email to the person mentioned in the job post and deal with them. You can do this for numerous jobs all in one day, but I'd probably just do three per day, because you'll want the package to arrive 3-4 days after you send the email.

Then:

On that same day you send three emails write three cover letters (crafting each with similar phrasings, but slightly customized for each target's stated requirments for each job).

Let these letters sit for a day. This gives you a ''fresh eye'' later to go over each letter before sending it out along with whatever peripheral materials you are including, such as clips or letters of recommendation.

The biggest mistake, and the one that will cost you a job, is a grammatical error or typo in a cover letter. It's easy to be tempted to use a form cover letter (to reduce chances of mistakes), and it's OK to use 80% of the phrasing repeatedly. But, you should craft the other 20% of the phrasing to be specific to that particular job.

Without copying verbatim, try to allude in each cover letter the phrasings from the particular job post. If they say in the job post they want ''a editing pro with newspaper copy editing experience, a background in EditPro, some familiarity in covering waste management, and a BA in English'' -- make sure the phrases ''waste management'', ''EditPro'', ''newspaper copy editor'', ''BA in English'' appear in your cover letter.

On Day Two:

After reviewing the previous days three letters, write three more, send you emails. Repeat this process until you get a job or give up and move to Manitoba.

Get into the process of mailing out three packages, writing three letters, and sending three emails every day.

Then after you're sure the email has been received, and the package has arrived, make a follow-up phone call.

After a week of this, you'll be in a groove; you'll be doing five things every day until you get a job:

1.) Send out three emails to new targets;
2.) Write three cover letters to new targets;
3.) Review previous days' three cover letters to previous targets that you've already emailed;
4.) Mail three packages to targets that have received your emails recently;
5.) Make follow up phone calls to targets that you estimate have by then received the packages. (In-town mailings usually arrive at the desk in three days, add a day if the organization is large, so HR can deliver the packet to the decision-maker).

PS - Lorelai is right. Stick to the manila envelopes. It looks ''cutre'' (A Spanish word that translates roughly as ''cheap and tacky'') to tri-fold your resume. Plus, it's more likely to be lost in the fray than a manila envelope. I'm not sure the stamps matter, but anything that makes you look like a professional helps, so why not?

PPS - I realize a job-hunting blitz comes with a financial cost (printing, cost of envelopes, stamps), but that's just the way it is.

PPS - Good luck.
gideon711 Posted – 1/20/2005 10:16:53 AM | show profile
Excellent advice. Thank you so much.
whosays Posted – 1/20/2005 11:08:30 AM | show profile
gideon -- You've had a lot of words thrown at you here, but back to your original question ...

I hired for my own staff for seven years. If an applicant didn't follow the instructions for applying, it indicated to me that he/she wouldn't follow instructions if they were hired.
angeloy Posted – 1/20/2005 2:03:26 PM | show profile
Whosays,

I presume you are referring to the ''to call or not to call'' question. It's a subjective decision, really. I've called when it said not to call and have been well received. You get a lot of hints in the wording of the job post.

For example:

''no calls, please'' from a relatively small company = probably a nice person, probably wouldn't mind confirming the reception of a resume/clips packet.

''NO CALLS!!!!'' from some giant publishing group = making the call will be pointless because you might end up talking to some under-paid, crabby HR person who isn't going to help you anyway.

In either case, it would be unusual for somebody to blackball you for a confimration phone call, and, frankly, who wants to work for that kind of person anyway?
kellylove Posted – 1/20/2005 4:13:21 PM | show profile
on no calls....
I've posted jobs for a variety of positions - editor, staff writer, media manager, etc. Most of the time, my posting states ''no calls, please.'' It never fails; I get calls. When that happens, I ask them if they are responding to such & such post...if they are (as opposed to being referred by a friend), I get their name, then put them on a list to ensure I didn't hire them. Ever.

It sounds mean, but my reason is the same as whosays - I don't want to hire someone who cannot follow simple instructions. I am a magazine editor and our office has a fairly small staff - no HR dept. I cannot be inundated with phone calls from people who want me to ''tell them about the job'' (it's happened!) - particular during deadline time. There's a reason editors make requests like this...and if you're applying for an editorial/magazine/news job, you should know that we have tight editoriial schedules. A strong resume, well written cover letter, and familiarity with a publication will increase your chances a lot more than ignoring an editor or hiring manager's requests in a job posting.

------
Kelly Love Johnson
writer/editor
www.microfamous.blogspot.com
kellylove Posted – 1/20/2005 4:44:21 PM | show profile
p.s. on no calls
I have to add: Over the course of the past several years I have both worked for and worked with editors/publishers who absolutely would ''blackball'' someone for not following job posting instructions. I knew an HR manager in publishing who would write callers names on a white board and cross them off as she received their resumes...and toss them in the trash.

------
Kelly Love Johnson
writer/editor
www.microfamous.blogspot.com
Juliet Posted – 1/20/2005 6:11:19 PM | show profile
Where's the resource in Human Resources?
As a writer in my third year of freelancing, I have applied to hundreds of job ads, most of which say ''No phone calls''.

Understandably, there are hundreds of applicants to any one posting, but answering questions about career opportunities and assisting applicants is the job of HR staff, is it not?

Especially when so many job ads are ridiculously vague and impossible to decipher, an applicant phone call should not be a reason for blackballing.
angeloy Posted – 1/20/2005 6:57:46 PM | show profile
I like the last poster re. the role of HR.

HR's job is to field requests for work. And even if you don't have an HR dept -- you're still looking for talent. And, frankly, if your business is a revolving door (so that you're constantly bothered to look for fresh meat) then it's because a.) you don't pay enough to keep people, and/or b.) your work environment is a garbage can.

I'm sorry if I cop an attitude here (I usually reserve that for the political screeds), but I feel strongly about this.

I used to be an editor of a magazine (40,000 circulation glossy consumer mag, sold in Barnes & Noble, had award-winning contributors) and I fielded calls from freelancers seeking work. Was it annoying? Only when candidates that are obviously not qualified continued to call back not getting the clue. Maybe it was because I have been in their shoes. I never gave them an attitude. If I was busy, I said so and asked them to send a resume. If they called back, I'd ask them not to call anymore. I'd be honest and upfront when they were annoying, instead of writing their names on a dry-erase board and trashing their resume and cover letter. These calls rarely take 30 seconds out of the day -- about as long as to post something on MB.

Now I am gainfully self-employed as a freelance production consultant, and I'm not in the job-hunting thing, thank god.

You know what the lesson here is -- act like you're just looking for work, and that you didn't see the post. Act like you're cold calling. In fact: I encourge that after hearing about the blackballing. Just find out what the publication is and act like you didn't see the post (thanks for that tip).

Not following instructions? How about not doing your job!
kellylove Posted – 1/20/2005 10:04:52 PM | show profile
interesting perspective...
I hadn't quite thought of it that way, from an HR perspective. I should have added that I make sure my job posts are clear and detailed - and I include enough info on the publication and parent co. so the candidate can research on his or her own.

I've hired many long-term writers, editors, columnists and freelancers, and have no worries about a revolving door. The jobs I've posted have been few and far between. Freelancing is a different story - I make contributor guidelines available and often meet with new potential writers in person (we don't post for freelance jobs).

As far as ''doing my job'' goes, I have to say that I have posted jobs that didn't include a ''no phone calls'' statement because I wanted to talk to candidates before requesting a resume.

My point is that many candidates believe the phone call will give them an extra edge - but they're not calling with valid questions. Let's just say I consider that phone call a ''prescreen'' interview that the candidate failed if they're asking me questions that are already answered in a job post, or the can get by obtaining a copy of the publication. In those cases, I tend to assume they would require a great deal of hand holding in the future. One of my requirements for editorial or writing positions is basic comprehension. Another is strong research skills. I don't hire people who ask me to do the legwork for them.

On the other hand, if I posted a job and someone called to ask a specific question I didn't clarify in the posting, I'm all ears. It just hasn't happened yet. I get calls asking if we hire people with no experience, when the job posting specifies X # of years experience. I get calls asking me to tell them more about the magazine, when they can not only get their hands on it, but access it online. The last time I posted a job on a national site, I fielded more than 40 calls on a Monday go-to-press morning from candidates, many who didn't even take the time to read through the job descrip that I took the time to write.

Yes, they may have very specific and detailed questions about work environment, company culture, benefits, etc. - which I prefer to discuss after we have decided to interview a candidate based on resume/clips/cover letter.

There's an element of frustration here, yes, but because I know I'm not the only editor who feels this way, I wanted to make clear to beginning writers/editors that perspective does exist. So yes, if you're confident a phone call will get your foot in the door, then make the call. Just make sure you're well prepared beforehand.

------
Kelly Love Johnson
writer/editor
www.microfamous.blogspot.com
angeloy Posted – 1/20/2005 11:47:32 PM | show profile
Gideon, Kelly makes some good points here, in my opinion. I think the ''call or do not call'' question is one of the most ambiguous and subjective ones regarding the job hunt.
notimetolose Posted – 1/21/2005 9:49:18 PM | show profile
Gotta agree with Kelly on this one. Asking applicants not to call isn't an ambiguous request, and the ''please'' doesn't mean ''it's okay if you do anyway.'' My application instructions and job requirements are clear, and I never make a mystery about which magazine is posting (drives me nuts when companies do that!).

There's no HR department at my company, and recruiting is one of a zillion things I'm responsible for. My MB job posts generate an average of 300 resumes. I like to look at them on the subway when I can give them my full attention. Asking you not to call me is asking you to respect my need to manage the hiring process in the way that works for me. Disrespect that and, sure, I'm likely to remember your name, but probably not the way you want me to.

I know it's a tough market in this business, but it's good to remember that even hiring managers have applied for lots of jobs and really do know how it feels. Well, okay, maybe some folks have forgotten. I feel your pain, anyway!
hank Posted – 1/21/2005 11:19:54 PM | show profile
M-B: Great stuff. I can't call you good-for-nothing in anymore.

I keed, I keed.
even_newer-id Posted – 1/22/2005 12:33:51 PM | show profile
kelly -- a few questions:

reporters will often be told there's no way they can speak to the people they need to speak to on deadline, but a little pushing and rule-breaking often gets them the interviews they need. In cases like these do you really look for someone who will ''follow instructions. or do you look for someone who will get the results you need?

if you're bugged by someone who calls when it says no calls, why not just put it to them in the job interview. See how they deal with a difficult question. It seems preferable to me than throwing out the CV of someone who's otherwise qualified (assuming they are).
whosays Posted – 1/22/2005 2:42:37 PM | show profile
even newer -- I can't speak for Kelly, obviously, but it was reporters I hired, as well.

First question: There's a huge difference between getting the story and being able to follow directions in a work environment. Even pushy reporters need to do what their editors want them to do.

Second question: The chances of making it to the interview stage being about 3 in 300, that person likely wouldn't make it so far.
angeloy  Posted – 1/22/2005 4:17:21 PM | show profile
Hank, thanks. I guess we can get along after all :)
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